research on Psychiatric Conditions in Combat Veterans
For years, many types of research on Psychiatric Conditions in Combat Veterans have concentrated on sexual trauma among women. The authors of this journal have bridged this research gap by conducting a study on the experiences of military sexual trauma in men. Through the use of thematic analysis, the authors identified several themes that aided their research. The themes include types of sexual trauma, effects, and ways in which individual victims have tried to cope with the situation. In combat, many men have experienced rape, among other sexual torture. As a result, the experience disruption of masculinity and sexuality, leading to a change in overall behaviors and attitudes. One of the main challenges that they go through is the difficulty of speaking out the trauma even to their counselors. Living in silence makes the matter worse, whereby they tend to become cruel and disrespectful. Further, in most cases, they struggle with issues of intimacy with their spouses, which makes it challenging to handle their marriages and relationships. Military sexual trauma is, therefore, among the factors that lead to family conflicts and divorce. This makes things worse as it destroys the ego of a man, leading to suicide cases.
On the other hand, the victims who decide to disclose the trauma recover quickly than those who prefer to deal with it alone. However, the disclosure does not always facilitate recovery due to negative responses that most of them get from their loved ones and even counselors. Men who experience negative reactions feel betrayed and live with bitterness. It is high time that health institutions, researchers, and academicians extensively study the military sexual trauma in men and ways of helping male survivors to recover positively.